Articles

Obesity and Cholinesterase Level Related to Impaired Fasting Glucose in Indonesian Farmers

Obesity is characterized by the excessive accumulation of fat caused by mutations in the leptin gene and its receptors. In Indonesia, the incidence of childhood obesity increased from 6.4% in 2007 to 9.2% in 2010. The prevalence and risk factors for childhood obesity in rural Indonesia, particularly in Teluk Pandan Subdistrict, Pesawaran District, Lampung Province, have not been extensively studied. This study aims to determine the prevalence and risk factors for childhood obesity in this rural-coastal area. A survey method was used for the prevalence study, and a case-control approach was used to identify risk factors. The study involved 94 students from elementary schools in Teluk Pandan, matched based on obesity status, gender, and age. Obesity was defined as a BMI at or above the 95th percentile of the CDC chart. Variables measured included dietary patterns, lack of physical activity, family income, parental obesity status, early introduction of complementary foods, and history of exclusive breastfeeding, analyzed using chi-square tests. The results showed that 148 out of 3190 children were overweight. Identified risk factors included excessive food consumption (p=0.0001; OR=15.622; CI95% 5.702-42.803), lack of physical activity (p=0.0001; OR=7.714; CI95% 2.868-20.751), high family income (p=0.0096; OR=2.202; CI95% 0.958-5.059), parental obesity status (p=0.0001; OR=24.5; CI95% 7.870-76.271), early introduction of complementary foods (p=0.0001; OR=4.567; CI95% 1.916-10.888), and non-exclusive breastfeeding (p=0.0005; OR=4.046; CI95% 1.605-10.201). The prevalence of childhood obesity in Teluk Pandan is 46% lower compared to urban areas in Indonesia. This study identifies several risk factors associated with childhood obesity in rural-coastal areas, including excessive food consumption, lack of physical activity, parental obesity, early introduction of complementary foods, and non-exclusive breastfeeding.

The Interrelation between Obesity Management and Climate Change in Greece

Two major global problems of our era are climate change and obesity. Both are interlinked and interconnected having undesired social, economic, environmental impacts as well as harmful impacts on human health. The rate of obesity and overweight in children and adults in Greece is high compared to other EU countries causing many health, social and economic problems. Climate change is foreseen to have severe and harmful impacts in Greece as well as in other Mediterranean countries altering the climate conditions. Obesity and its treatment mitigate climate change, mainly due to the change in the dietary pattern of the treated patients. The proposed diets for managing obesity, based on Mediterranean dietary patterns, have less GHG emissions and lower climate footprint. Climate change makes more difficult the treatment of obesity, mainly due to the rising temperatures. Climate change has undesired and harmful impacts on obesity treatment in Greece while obesity treatment results in the mitigation of climate change in the country. Future policies for climate change mitigation and managing obesity in Greece should take into account their mutual interconnections and interlinkages in order to maximize their effectiveness in treating these two severe pandemics in the country.

The Correlation between the Knowledge and Understanding of Eating Behavior Appropriate for each Blood Type and its Impact on Obesity among the Population in Bangkok

Obesity is now a major concern among Thai citizens and the world population, as the proportion of people who are obese has been rising for decades. Obesity can lead to many health issues, such as heart disease, stroke, hypertension, and diabetes, and therefore is a problem that should be addressed. As various studies have suggested, there is an association between blood types and certain diseases including obesity. Eating behaviors appropriate for each blood type is one of the suggested ways to lose weight and be healthy. Accordingly, we conducted a survey on the Bangkok citizens to find the correlation between their knowledge and understanding of eating behaviors appropriate for each blood type and their impact on obesity, with a total of 301 responses obtained from Google Forms. The questionnaires include general information and questions about blood type diets. The results showed no significant correlation between knowledge and understanding of blood type diets and the body mass index (BMI). However, there is a significant correlation between gender and knowledge of the blood type diet. As a result, this study has revealed a lack of awareness on blood type diets among the population in Bangkok, which has a knowledge score of 7.99 out of 20, and showed that there is no significant correlation between the score and obesity.

Obesity as a Problem in Children and Adolescents: Literature Review

Obesity in children and adolescents affects health worldwide and is linked to premature death, comorbidities in the cardiometabolic and psychosocial systems, and other conditions. The problem of obesity in children and adolescents is 10% for children aged 5 to 17 years and 2-3.5% for teenagers, according to the most recent official data. The number of adolescents and children in Indonesia who suffer dietary deficiencies has risen every year. Adolescent obesity is caused by a variety of factors. The effects of childhood obesity can range from psychosocial effects to lifelong clinical changes like hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, metabolic syndrome, orthopedic disorders, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), asthma, fatty liver disease, and increased risk for cardiovascular disease. Local, regional, and global efforts are encouraged by the World Health Organization’s (WHO) strategy on diet, physical activity, and healthier lifestyle.

Comparison Study between Orlistat and Moringa Oleifera as an Appetite Suppressant in Case of Obese Patients

Obesity is a disease in which excess accumulation of fat occurs in the adipose tissues of the body. Obesity is the main cause of many diseases such as type- 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and mental health disorders such as depression.  In recent studies, Moringa oleifera have been found to have antilipidemic activity by reducing the levels of total cholesterol, triglycerides and low density lipoprotein. This review compares the therapeutic effect of herbal drug to orlistat, a lipase inhibitor. The mechanism of action of Orlistat is to prevent the intestinal absorption of fat present in food resulting into excretion of the unabsorbed fat from the body in the stool.

Surgical Treatment of Gallstones in Patients Undergoing Gastric Bypass Surgery as a Treatment of Obesity

Introduction: Sustained weight loss after gastric bypass is achieved by a combination of gastric restriction and a variable degree of malabsortion and has therefore a greater risk for gallstone development than purely restrictive procedures like adjustable gastric banding.

Objectives: The main objective of the study is to analyse the surgical treatment of gallstones in patients undergoing gastric bypass surgery as a treatment of obesity.

Material and methods: This randomized control trial was conducted in Jinnah Hospital, Lahore during 2021 to 2022. Patients who underwent bariatric surgery for obesity were included in the study. Those who had cholecystectomy before bariatric surgery, those who underwent concomitant cholecystectomy (CC) during bariatric surgery, those with concomittant gall stoness and those who did not attend their follow-up regularly were excluded from the study.

Results: The data was collected from 100 patients and we reviewed records from all patients treated for acute biliary pancreatitis. The average age was 36.43±9.52 years and, the ratio of women/men was 151 (81.6%)/34 (18.4%). Mean BMI was determined as 44.16±5.09. When comorbidities were evaluated, 116 (62.7%) patients had comorbidity, while 69 (37.3%) patients did not. Conclusion: It is concluded that prophylactic and selective management can be safely performed and the only significant difference with patients not submitted to concomitant cholecystectomy is mostly observed in operative times that are higher in those who do undergo cholecystectomy.